Sarfaraz Khan dropped from Indian team for off-field reasons: Report

Sarfaraz Khan’s exclusion from the Indian team for the West Indies tour was criticized by none other than Sunil Gavaskar. However, BCCI sources claimed that his low “fitness level” and alleged “off-field conduct” influenced the decision. The Mumbai batsman has been in impressive form, scoring 2566 runs in the last three Ranji seasons: 928 in 2019/20, 982 in 2022-23 and 656 in 2022-23. With a career average of 79.65 after 37 red-ball games, it was surprising to see him replaced by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has a career average of over 42.

A BCCI official aware of the selection developments told PTI, “The angry reactions are understandable, but I can tell you with some degree of certainty that the reason for Sarfaraz’s repeated ouster is more than just cricket.” Is not related. There are many factors involved in this. ”On the condition of anonymity.

“Are the selectors fools to ignore a player who has scored more than 900 runs in consecutive seasons? One of the reasons is his fitness, which is not up to international standards. He needs to work hard, possibly lose weight And have to come back leaner and fitter. Batting fitness alone is not the only criterion for selection,” said the source.

According to the BCCI official, fitness is not the only reason for Sarfaraz’s non-selection. “His behavior on and off the field has not been exemplary. Certain comments, gestures and incidents have been noticed. He would benefit greatly from a more disciplined approach. Hopefully, Sarfaraz, along with his father and coach Naushad Khan, will work on these aspects Will look into it,” the senior official said.

Reportedly, Sarfaraz’s celebration after scoring a century against Delhi during a Ranji match earlier this year did not go down well with former selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma, who was watching the match from the stands. Also, his conduct during the break in the 2022 Ranji Trophy final had angered MP coach and Mumbai legend Chandrakant Pandit.

When asked whether Sarfaraz’s IPL performances and perceived weakness against the short ball contributed to his non-selection, the source replied, “It is a perception created by the media. Do you think there is any cricketing reason for this?” Can be?”

“When Mayank Agarwal made it into the Indian Test team, he scored 1000 first-class runs in a month. Did MSK Prasad’s committee evaluate his IPL credentials? The same applies for Hanuma Vihari, who is a domestic and international batsman.” A team rose through the ranks. If their IPL and white-ball records were not checked then, why would SS Das’s committee invent this wheel now? It’s simple. The reason is not cricket-related,” the source said.

Feeling sad for Sarfaraz Khan _#sunilgavaskar #sarfarazkhan #Indian Cricket Team pic.twitter.com/ipptYSLnxu

— Sports Cheetah (@sports_cheetah_) 24 June 2023

At present, it will be challenging for Sarfaraz to make a place in the team. “Just think about it. Why wasn’t Sarfaraz even in the reserves for the World Test Championship? Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jasiwal were the two reserves after Ruturaj pulled out because of his marriage.”

As of now, Ajinkya Rahane is at No.5, and Gaikwad is the reserve middle-order batsman who can also be a floater. If Rahane fails then Gaikwad is likely to get a chance. Also, Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently playing for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy, cannot be ignored. If Shreyas Iyer recovers from injury, then Sarfaraz’s path to an international call-up could get even tougher.